The PhD student will be working in the group of Dr. Wouter de Laat
(
http://www2.eur.nl/fgg/ch1/cellbiology/de_laat). The main interest of their research is to
understand how genes are switched on and off during cellular differentiation of mammalian
cells. Recently, the group has made several pioneering contributions to the fields of gene
regulation and nuclear organisation. They have shown that regulatory DNA sequences (e.g.
enhancers) loop towards target genes for their activation. They recently developed novel 4C
technology, a unique genomics approach that allows identification of DNA interactions in the
living cell. In clinical research, 4C accurately maps genomic rearrangements in patient
samples. In ongoing research they aim to apply, and further develop, 4C technology to
address both fundamental research questions and uncover new rearrangements underlying